1. introduction
| Abstract | Assume for simplicity that human mental states are constituted by brain states (if dualism holds, copying of brain states may need to be replaced with copying of soul states). According to psychological continuity theories of personal identity, if the personality and memories of a human person A were copied into the brain of B while the brain of A were destroyed, and no other copies were made, then A would survive in the B-body and would be identical with the post-operative person occupying the B-body. By considering the mechanics of copying in a case where A and B have qualitatively identical brains, I will argue that the conclusion is false, and hence the psychological continuity theories that imply this identity claim are false. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | No categories specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,709 |
| External links |
  Try with proxy. Try with proxy. |
| Through your library | Only published papers are available at libraries |
Similar books and articlesJerome A. Shaffer (1961). Could Mental States Be Brain Processes? Journal of Philosophy 58 (December):813-22.
Simon Beck (2011). Causal Copersonality: In Defence of the Psychological Continuity Theory. South African Journal of Philosophy 30 (2):244-255.
Norman Swartz (1975). Emergence and Materialist Theories of Sentience. World Futures 14 (3):241-267.
Elizabeth Schechter (2009). Persons and Psychological Frameworks: A Critique of Tye. Journal of Consciousness Studies 16 (2-3):141-163.
Lawrence H. Davis (1998). Functionalism and Personal Identity. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 58 (4):781-804.
J. J. C. Smart, The Identity Theory of Mind. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Don Merrell (2011). Polger on the Illusion of Contingent Identity. International Journal of Philosophical Studies 19 (4):593 - 602.
Dana E. Bushnell (1993). Identity, Psychological Continuity, and Rationality. Journal of Philosophical Research 18:15-24.
Lynne Rudder Baker (1994). Attitudes as Nonentities. Philosophical Studies 76 (2-3):175-203.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads5 ( #160,518 of 551,007 )Recent downloads (6 months)3 ( #25,807 of 551,007 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
